How long to rest for a moderate limp?

[urge to herd]

I was out with Gibbs on Saturday morning, playing ball. He ran after a ball, grabbed it, turned and stopped. Then he limped towards me with his right rear foot up in the air. We stopped. By the time I got him home he was walking on it, but very slowly. Went up 4 steps to our house using it evenly with the other rear leg as best as I could see, but again slowly. Definitely not with his usual lust for life.

 

So he's continuing to use it, but has a shortened stride. He's still going up and down stairs using it, and at this point I have to remind him to slow down. I got a couple people at the Jack Knox clinic, (omg, sooooo wonderful!) to watch him move, and they agreed that there is something there. Subtle at this point, but not right.

 

So, I'm thinking I should rest him for a week, do some very moderate massage on his hindquarters, and then let him move around a bit more, see what happens. We've got a good orthopedist locally if we need him.

 

What say you all? A week, longer?

 

Ruth and Agent Gibbs

[Liz P]

First I would want to have a vet check him. He might need surgery. The vet can advise you if resting is appropriate and for how long.

[gcv-border]

I agree with Liz. I would make an appt. with the local rehab vet (orthopedist?) for his/her next opening. In the meantime, leash walk and no running.

 

The frustration about limps, etc. is that sometimes they are serious (surgery required) and sometimes not (rest is best). My personal experiences and anecdotes from other dog owners has led to my opinion that a good certified rehab vet or orthopedic vet (i.e. a specialist) is an active dog owner's best friend.

 

My dog had a shoulder limp (after playing with a ball in my yard). He was started on anti-inflammatories and short-term pain meds and leash walking (per general vet). The limp disappeared but if he was active (just one pass through a set of 6 weave poles was my 'test'), the limp would come back for a day. I had to wait 3 weeks before I could get an appt. with a specialist, and from there, I was sent to a surgeon. Long story short, he had torn his left biceps tendon (75% torn). That injury would never have healed without surgery.

 

I don't want to scare you that Gibb's injury could be serious - I also have had the exact opposite experience - general vet suggested two surgical interventions for my dog's injuries. Getting a second opinion from the rehab vet - priceless! My dog had just strained his ileopsoas muscle - 3-4 months of leash walking and prescribed exercises, and he has not shown a recurrence.

 

Hoping for the best for Gibbs and you,

Jovi

[Sue R]

Agreeing with what both Liz and Jovi said.

 

A vet appointment to check to see if there could be something "serious" that has happened, and then possibly a referral to an orthopedist if indicated.

 

You might want to double-check my topic about Celt's ACL tear - there are a few "symptoms" that you can be looking for. Toe-touching while standing at rest and uneven pad wear (mainly on the fronts of the two longer toes on that leg) can be indicators.

 

I hope this is nothing significant - and most of the time, it probably isn't!

[urge to herd]

Thanks, everyone. We've got an appt in 90 minutes with the ortho guy. Sue, believe me, your posts about Celt's injuries/rehab have been uppermost in my mind. He might be 'toeing' a tiny bit, but when he walks he seems to be planting the foot flat, and stands all four on the floor equally. He's also balanced on that leg to pee more than once. Will go check the paw pads.

 

Will let you know what Dr. G. says.

 

Ruth

[juliepoudrier]

Just another side to the biceps issue. Pip was lame on his front across two trial weekends when we were setting sheep. Pain meds didn't touch it. I took him to my regular vet, who X-rayed and sent the radiograph to an orthopedist, who diagnosed biceps tendonitis. I followed that up with a visit to my rehab vet, who felt that there was likely a partial tear of the biceps tendon. I'm very lucky it wasn't torn completely since I kept using him despite the lameness. I put him on three months of strict rest and he hasn't been lame since.

 

That said, a dog intermittently packing a rear leg automatically makes me think of ACL issues. By now you're probably at the vet, so I'm interested to hear what s/he says.

 

J.

[urge to herd]

Oh, the absolute joy of going straight to the specialist! Dr. gurevitch spent at least 30 min with me and Gibbs, who was being his usual 'oh you're going to kill me slowly and painfully' self. Gibbs apparently has minor to moderate sprain of a knee ligament, can't remember which one. There's a little swelling, and it's a little painful.

 

We're on leash walks only for 3 weeks, but we can have a good brisk outing a couple times a day, and he is free to walk around the house, jump up on the bed or the sofa. No quick turns or sudden stops, no twirling on his hind legs like a ballerina dog, though. And he's got an anti-inflammatory for two weeks.

 

My mind is much relieved! Thanks for the solid advice of going right to the vet.

 

Ruth and Agent Gibbs, who is relieved to be home . . .

[Sue R]

Wonderful news!

 

Now, I will add a caveat - I would be pretty strict about the rest and limited activity. Celt's ACL was originally diagnosed as a tear by the general vet but as a strain/sprain by the first ortho specialist we saw. Three weeks of crate rest with the first two weeks also with Rimadyl, and he was sound and stayed so for almost three years. However, with his level of activity, at some point in time, he did fully tear the ACL (whether it was at all gradual or happened all at once, we don't know as he only exhibited barely discernable signs ("Am I seeing ____ or am I not?) until we were sure something was wrong and the tear was complete.

 

So, while you have an almost exact duplicate of our regime the first time, brisk activity and such was not on our agenda, so I'd tend on the side of careful. Being "too careful" beats being "not careful enough". But, if your specialist said that's fine, then who am I to argue.

 

I will say that I think I brought Celt back to activity a bit too quickly after the three weeks - I should have been much more gradual in introducing more strenuous and taxing exercise, and I don't know if that did contribute to the eventual failure of his ACL.

 

Anyway, the long way around (as always) - great news! Very best wishes on an uneventful and permanent recovery!

[urge to herd]

Thanks, Sue. Yes, we are definitely doing the gradual return after 3 weeks. I'm so glad you guys encouraged me to go straight to the vet. I would have dithered and hemmed and hawed and driven myself and DH totally nuts.

 

Ruth and Agent Gibbs